The present invention relates to methods and apparatus for checking the condition of worn tires, for instance before their recapping. More particularly, it relates to a method and apparatus for the non-destructive checking of the condition of metallic reinforcement elements of such tires and, in particular, of the tread plies.
When the tread of a tire is worn, it is customary to "recap" it, that it so say to replace the worn tread by a new one. However, this operation is possible only if the mechanical condition of the tire is satisfactory. For this reason, before and during the recapping, one carefully verifies what defects are present in the tires. Depending on the seriousness of these defects, the tires are repaired or discarded.
The metallic reinforcement elements which are incorporated deep within the tire may, in particular, present defects such as ruptures or oxidation. These defects are not always detected by the manual, visual verification conventionally carried out by an operator.
In order to solve this problem, methods of non-destructive verification, based for instance on X-rays, have been proposed. These methods require a relatively lengthy visual analysis of the results, which does not permit their complete automation; furthermore, they require a substantial investment. As a result, these methods of visualization are very rarely used in recapping.